Nova Scotia Crime Report 2025
In 2025, Nova Scotia experienced a measured change in its criminal landscape. Police-reported crime across the province fell modestly, with the Crime Severity Index falling modestly compared to the previous year. Violent offences, which account for the most severe incidents tracked by Statistics Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, continued to decline, while property crime — including break and enter, motor vehicle theft, and fraud — followed a similar trajectory. Nova Scotia ranked below the Canadian average for overall crime severity. This report examines every major offence category, clearance rates, and multi-year trends to provide residents, researchers, and policymakers with the most complete picture of crime in Nova Scotia.
Executive Summary
Crime Severity Index
73.0
↓ -3.3% YoY
#4 of 13
Total Crime Rate
6701.7
per 100k10.5% above national average
Violent Crime Rate
1561.9
per 100k↓ -5.6% YoY
Clearance Rate
32.5%
Crime Severity Index Analysis
The Crime Severity Index, developed by the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, goes beyond simple crime counts by weighting each offence according to the severity of sentences handed down by criminal courts. Unlike the traditional crime rate, which treats every incident equally, the CSI gives proportionally more weight to serious offences like homicide and sexual assault, providing a more accurate reflection of how crime impacts Nova Scotia’s communities.
Overall CSI
73.0
↓ -3.3%Violent CSI
89.8
↓ -5.6%Non-violent CSI
66.8
↓ -2.0%National CSI: 75.0 · 2.7% below national average
5-Year CSI Trend
| Year | CSI | Violent | Non-violent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71.6 | 98.1 | 61.6 |
| 2022 | 74.8 | 99.9 | 65.4 |
| 2023 | 74.4 | 96.4 | 66.3 |
| 2024 | 75.5 | 95.1 | 68.3 |
| 2025 | 73.0 | 89.8 | 66.8 |
Violent Crime Breakdown
Violent crime in Nova Scotia encompasses offences against the person — from common assault to homicide — as reported to police services under the Criminal Code of Canada. In 2025, the violent crime rate stood at 1561.9 per one hundred thousand residents, above the national benchmark of 1443.3. Nova Scotia’s homicide rate of 1.7 per one hundred thousand is moderate by national standards, while assault-related charges continue to represent the largest share of violent incidents.
| Offence | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| Homicide | 1.7 |
| Assault Level 1 | 545.9 |
| Assault Level 2 | 172.4 |
| Assault Level 3 | 8.6 |
| Sexual Assault | 84.0 |
| Robbery | 31.9 |
| Criminal Harassment | 88.4 |
| Uttering Threats | 352.3 |
Property Crime Breakdown
Property crime — including break and enter, motor vehicle theft, shoplifting, and fraud — represents the most frequently reported category of criminal activity in Nova Scotia. In 2025, property offences occurred at a rate of 3564.7 per one hundred thousand, exceeding Canada’s overall property crime rate of 3140.6. Motor vehicle theft and fraud have drawn particular attention from law enforcement across Nova Scotia in recent years.
| Offence | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| Break & Enter | 204.5 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 134.0 |
| Theft Over $5K | 45.7 |
| Theft Under $5K | 1841.3 |
| Fraud | 429.6 |
| Mischief | 805.9 |
| Arson | 21.7 |
| Shoplifting | 910.0 |
Other Criminal Code Offences
Beyond violent and property offences, Nova Scotia tracks drug violations, impaired driving, and weapons-related crimes under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. These offences, while often underreported, provide critical insight into public safety trends and policing priorities across the province.
| Offence | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| Drug Violations | 100.3 |
| Impaired Driving | 270.6 |
| Weapons Offences | 54.3 |
Clearance Rates
Clearance rates measure how effectively police services resolve reported incidents. A case is “cleared by charge” when police lay or recommend criminal charges, and “cleared otherwise” when the case is resolved through alternative means — such as diversion programs, departmental discretion, the death of the accused, or diplomatic immunity. In Nova Scotia, the overall clearance rate provides insight into the capacity and effectiveness of provincial policing.
Total Cleared
22,569
30.8%
Cleared by Charge
16,719
74.1%
Cleared Otherwise
5,850
25.9%
5-Year Trend Analysis
Understanding crime trends over multiple years is essential for distinguishing short-term fluctuations from lasting shifts. The table below tracks Nova Scotia’s Crime Severity Index, total crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate from 2021 through 2025, offering policymakers, researchers, and residents a multi-year perspective on public safety in the province.
| Year | CSI | Total Rate | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71.6 | 6008.8 | 1504.2 | 3083.3 |
| 2022 | 74.8 | 6439.8 | 1594.1 | 3425.0 |
| 2023 | 74.4 | 6467.5 | 1622.9 | 3395.3 |
| 2024 | 75.5 | 6610.6 | 1539.4 | 3512.2 |
| 2025 | 73.0 | 6701.7 | 1561.9 | 3564.7 |
🇨🇦 How Nova Scotia Compares to Canada
Comparing Nova Scotia’s crime metrics to the national average provides essential context for understanding whether the province’s public safety challenges are local or reflect broader Canadian trends. Nova Scotia’s overall Crime Severity Index of 73.0 is below the Canadian average of 75.0, suggesting that the province experiences less severe crime relative to the rest of the country.
Crime Severity Index
Nova Scotia
73.0
Canada
75.0
Total Crime Rate
Nova Scotia
6701.7
Canada
6064.5
per 100k
▲ 10.5% above national averageViolent Crime Rate
Nova Scotia
1561.9
Canada
1443.3
per 100k
▲ 8.2% above national averageMethodology
All data presented in this report is sourced from Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey, which collects police-reported crime statistics from all police services across Canada.
The Crime Severity Index (CSI) measures the overall severity of crime by assigning weights to each offence based on sentences handed down by courts. A higher CSI indicates more severe crime relative to the base year (2006 = 100).
Crime rates are expressed per 100,000 population to allow fair comparison between jurisdictions of different sizes. Population estimates come from Statistics Canada's census and intercensal programs.
Clearance rates represent the percentage of incidents cleared by police, either through laying a charge ("cleared by charge") or by other means such as departmental discretion, diversion programs, or the death of the accused ("cleared otherwise"). Data coverage and completeness may vary slightly by jurisdiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nova Scotia's crime rate in 2025?
In 2025, Nova Scotia recorded a total crime rate of approximately 6701.7 incidents per one hundred thousand population, based on police-reported data compiled through Statistics Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. This figure encompasses all Criminal Code violations — including violent crime, property crime, and other federal statute offences — that were reported to and substantiated by police services across the province. Nova Scotia’s crime rate places it above the national average, indicating a higher volume of police-reported incidents relative to other Canadian jurisdictions. However, it is important to note that crime rates capture only offences reported to police; unreported crime and victimization survey data may paint a broader picture. For a more nuanced understanding of crime severity rather than just volume, the Crime Severity Index provides additional context.
Is Nova Scotia safer than the national average?
Yes. Nova Scotia’s Crime Severity Index of 73.0 is below the national average of 75.0, indicating that the province experiences relatively lower crime severity when each offence is weighted by the seriousness of court-imposed sentences. This means that not only is the volume of crime comparatively lower, but the types of offences reported tend to be less severe than the Canadian norm. Among all 13 provinces and territories tracked, Nova Scotia ranks #4 for overall safety. It is worth noting that crime severity can vary significantly between urban centres and rural communities within Nova Scotia, so provincial averages may not reflect conditions in every municipality. Residents seeking neighbourhood-level data should consult local police service annual reports alongside this provincial overview.
What are the most common crimes in Nova Scotia?
The three most frequently reported offences by rate per one hundred thousand population in Nova Scotia are Theft Under $5K, Shoplifting, Mischief, based on police-reported incidents for 2025. These offence categories consistently rank among the highest-volume crimes across most Canadian provinces and territories, reflecting patterns that are largely driven by interpersonal disputes and opportunistic property offences. Assault Level 1 — the least severe category of physical assault under the Criminal Code — typically dominates the violent crime category, while property offences such as theft and mischief account for the bulk of reported incidents overall. The rates cited here are derived from Statistics Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and represent only those incidents reported to and substantiated by police. Actual victimization rates, including unreported incidents, are likely higher across all categories.
How does Nova Scotia's Crime Severity Index compare?
Nova Scotia’s Crime Severity Index stands at 73.0, ranking #4 out of 13 provinces and territories, while the national CSI is 75.0. The Crime Severity Index was developed by Statistics Canada to address a key limitation of traditional crime rates: that a single count of theft carries the same statistical weight as a homicide. By weighting each offence based on average sentences handed down by criminal courts, the CSI provides a severity-adjusted view of the criminal landscape. A CSI above 100 indicates that a jurisdiction’s crime severity exceeds the 2006 national baseline, while a value below 100 suggests an improvement. Nova Scotia’s CSI should be interpreted alongside the violent and non-violent sub-indices, which reveal whether changes in overall severity are driven by serious person offences or by high-volume property and regulatory crimes.
Has crime gone up or down in Nova Scotia?
The Crime Severity Index in Nova Scotia decreased by 3.3 per cent compared to the previous year, indicating an improvement in the overall severity of police-reported crime. This decline may be attributable to reductions in high-severity offences, increased diversion and community-based justice programs, or demographic changes that shift per-capita calculations. While any year-over-year decrease is encouraging, it is important to assess whether the improvement is sustained over multiple years or represents a short-term fluctuation. The violent and non-violent CSI sub-indices can help determine whether declines are concentrated in serious person offences or in lower-severity property and regulatory crimes. A five-year trend analysis provides the most reliable perspective on whether Nova Scotia is becoming safer over time.